Weasley Shade
by Lady Mage
Summary: Tonks & Charlie one shot. Tonks' hair is red and Charlie wants to know why.


**Weasley Shade**

_Tonks & Charlie one-shot. Tonks' hair is red and Charlie wants to know why.

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"Wotcher, Charlie," she greeted him, looking up for a moment from her bowl of cereal. She'd known who Charlie was vaguely at school but really got to know him while at Grimmauld place that one summer.

"Why is your hair red today?" he asked her, genuinely curious, as he got a banana from the cupboard and sat down with her.

"To celebrate the season," she retorted, "Now go away- I'm trying to work."

"Work?" he asked, "You are eating cereal for Merlin's sake!"

Tonks laughed. "I'm counting the flakes in the bowl in proportion to the milk! Leave me alone- go eat your banana somewhere else!"

"Ooh, let me help," he replied, scooting over so he was closer to her bowl of cereal.

"You aren't serious, are you?" Tonks looked over at him curiously, half surprised. She knew he was a little crazy- he'd always been pulling pranks at Hogwarts, but...

"Well, I wasn't," Charlie said, "but I can be!"

"O really," she challenged.

"Yes really," he said, "I did take Arithmancy, you know!"

"Hmmph," was all Tonks had to say, and tried to wrest her bowl of cereal away from him.

"It is actually very helpful, interestingly enough," he continued, oblivious to the fact that they were having a wrestling match over a bowl of cereal and milk and flakes were flying everywhere, "I find it useful in the oddest situations. Take this one for example…" Charlie then launched off into a humorous monologue about how to count cereal flakes in proportion to the milk and come up with an accurate result.

"O Helga," Tonks shook her head at him. She loved Charlie, she really did… but sometimes…

"Don't swear!" Charlie reprimanded her, "I'm trying to teach you something!"

"Something I already know," Tonks shook her head. He was only like this with her. Why couldn't he do this to Bill, Fred, George, or even Percy? Why her? "And why can't I swear again?" she asked.

"Well, if you are going to, at least swear by Godric!" Charlie was very loyal to his house, Tonks knew. That was probably the reason that she hadn't known him at school. He had been seeker to the Gryffindor team and was very proud of it. He'd mostly gotten over his egotism now though, what with working with dragons and all.

"I'm a Hufflepuff, you know," she said, "and you'll have to learn to deal with that eventually."

"Whatever," was Charlie's answer. "Come on, when are you going to tell me why your hair is red?"

"When you kiss me!" Tonks retorted, her mouth running away with her brain.

"That can be arranged," he said. Suddenly he was very serious, and Tonk's brain caught up with her mouth. Curse those Hufflepuff traits of speaking without thinking! Merlin knew that she wanted to kiss him, but not like this!

"I was just joking," she tried to laugh it off, masking the desire she really felt.

Charlie must have picked up on some of that, because the same glint was in his eyes. He leaned in and suddenly his mouth was on hers and she was falling…

"I," he kissed her, "am," he kissed her again, "waiting…" He gave her a final searing kiss and leaned back like it had never happened, going back to eating his banana.

Tonks shook. Had that really just happened? Had Charlie really just kissed her? Again, her brain tried to catch up with her mouth, this time more literally.

"I-" she couldn't seem to formulate an answer.

"Yes?" he asked, the picture of a man who could wait all day but knew he wasn't going to.

"Well- I-" she started again, "I _am_ just getting festive for the holidays!" Tonks said quickly, hoping against hope that he would buy it.

"You know I don't like that answer," he said, "Come on, Tonks! Spill!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because-"

Charlie looked at her. "I think I know why your hair is red," he finally said.

"Why?" she asked, wondering what he could have thought of_. Please don't let it be the right answer… _she silently pleaded.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that your hair is the Weasley shade of red for Christmas?"

"Well, yes, I-"

"Change it!" he commanded in a tone much like that he used with his dragons.

Tonks winced. This was _exactly_ what she didn't want to happen. For try as she might, Nymphadora Tonks could not change her hair from the Weasley shade of red. "I can't," was all she said, hanging her head.

Charlie's eyes widened. She watched as comprehension slowly dawned in his eyes.

"You're in love with a Weasley."

Tonks nodded her head, afraid to look up at him, worried he might guess who it was. Him.

"Who?" of course was the next thing out of his mouth, and the word attacked her worse than any _Stupefy_ spell that she had ever been shot at with. Should she tell him? She guessed she really had no choice about it.

"You," she finally managed to croak out, waiting for the explosion that would be his response.

The explosion never came. "Really?" was all he asked.

Tonks, surprised at his tone, looked up. "Yeah," she said, laughing wryly at herself.

"That's good," he said.

Tonks stared. Now it was her turn to ask, "Really?"

"Yeah, of course it is," he said, "It's good to know that you feel the same- it would really suck if you didn't." He didn't let her react to that statement before continuing, "Now, about the proportion of the cereal to the milk…"

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**A/N: I hope you liked this! If you did, you might want to check out my other Tonks/Charlie one-shot "Only He Gets to Call Me That" which you might like as well. **

**Please review and Happy Holidays!**

**Lady Mage**


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